The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has made a major breakthrough with their newly developed indigenous mobile operating system, BharOS.
One of the most impressive features of BharOS is its No Default Apps (NDA) feature, which allows users to have more control over the permissions that apps have on their device, as they can choose to only allow apps that they trust to access certain features or data.
Developed by JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops), a non-profit organization established by IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, BharOS is a significant contribution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.
Additionally, BharOS provides access to trusted apps from organization-specific Private App Store Services (PASS). These services provide access to a curated list of apps that have been thoroughly screened and have met certain security and privacy standards of organizations.
IIT Madras Introduces Indigenous BharOS Operating System, that is unique in many aspects
Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India Dharmendra Pradhan in his message wrote “This is a marvellous effort @iitmadras From indigenous 5G to now indigenous mobile operating system. ‘BharOS’ is a big breakthrough that has the potential to reimagine data security & privacy and make India #Aatmanirbhar in the telecommunications sector.”
“BharOS Service is a Mobile Operating System built on a foundation of trust, with a focus on providing users more freedom, control, and flexibility to choose and use only the apps that fit their needs,” said Professor V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras. “This innovative system promises to revolutionize the way users think about security and privacy on their mobile devices.”
Another striking feature of BharOS is that it comes with No Default Apps (NDA), which gives users a choice to not use the app they don’t trust. Additionally, it allows them to have more control over the permissions that apps have on their device, as they can choose to only allow apps that they trust to access certain features or data on their device.
At present, BharOS services are being provided to organizations that have stringent privacy and security requirements, and whose users handle sensitive information and require access to private cloud services through private 5G networks.
“IIT Madras looks forward to working closely with many more private industry, Government agencies, Strategic agencies and Telecom Service Providers to increase the usage and adoption of BharOS in our Country,” Professor Kamakoti added.
Karthik Ayyar, Director, JandK Operations Pvt Ltd., the start-up that developed this Mobile Operating System, said, “In addition, BharOS offers ‘Native Over The Air’ (NOTA) updates that can help to keep the devices secure. NOTA updates are automatically downloaded and installed on the device, without the need for the user to manually initiate the process. This ensures that the device is always running the latest version of the operating system, which includes the latest security patches and bug fixes. With NDA, PASS, and NOTA, BharOS ensures that Indian mobile phones are trustworthy.”
